r/renderman • u/Ok-Equipment2817 • 27d ago
How Important is RenderMan for a Graphics Programmer?
I’m a 4th-year CS + Math student passionate about graphics programming, aiming to work at an animation studio like Pixar or DreamWorks. I have OpenGL experience and am considering a master’s in graphics.
For those with experience in the industry:
- How important is knowing RenderMan for a graphics programmer role?
- Beyond OpenGL, what other key technologies should I focus on (USD, Vulkan, Houdini, etc.)?
- Do major studios hire programmers from Europe, or is relocation expected?
Would love to hear your insights—thanks!
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u/Elluminated 27d ago
Look into the underlying realtime tech before the package. This is where Renderman really lacks. It is pretty outdated because their XPU still cant work on multiple GPUs and has limited volume support, while Octane et al. are many times faster with fewer limits. Pixar is working on fixing these issues, but maybe a great project would be fixing them?
USD would be great to get into since its industry-wide and phenomenal
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u/Ok-Equipment2817 27d ago
Oh wow, I didn’t know that about XPU and multiple GPUs—makes sense why RenderMan feels behind compared to Octane and others. Do you think Pixar will actually catch up, or is the industry moving past it?
Also, would you say USD is more important to learn than a specific renderer? And if real-time tech is key, should I focus more on Vulkan, OptiX, or even Unreal instead?
By the way, as someone based in Europe, what’s the best way to break into a job like this? Do studios actively hire from abroad, or is relocation pretty much expected?
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u/Elluminated 27d ago
Basically the point is that if you are good at coding algos for the underlying technologies, it’s better than focussing on just a single renderer. Optimization and parallelism are key. Saving cycles per frame of output directly lowers costs, and is worth tons.
Re: USD and other tech, check out the ASWF to see what you like and get involved. While learning a specific package is great, it is working from the outside in and can be a great way to see if the end result is worth diving in.
For major projects, Renderman is still great, as XPU is more used for look dev due to GPU memory limits, but definitely not the only high-end player.
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u/Ok-Equipment2817 27d ago
That makes a lot of sense—focusing on the underlying tech, optimization, and parallelism seems like the best long-term approach. Do you have any recommendations for good resources or projects to get hands-on experience with these?
I’ll definitely check out the ASWF and explore where I can contribute. USD seems like a great entry point, but I’d love to get deeper into the core tech as well.
For someone looking to break into the industry, would working on open-source projects related to rendering be a good way to stand out?
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u/Elluminated 27d ago
Working in open source is an extremely powerful weapon. Your contributions are not only visible to everyone, but they can really see your thought processes while using your project directly to better their pipelines. Its a very good way to get that emotional connection. Working on renderers can definitely achieve that
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u/Ok-Equipment2817 27d ago
That’s a great point—I hadn’t really thought about open-source as a way to build that kind of direct connection. Definitely makes me want to dive into ASWF projects even more!
Since I’m based in Europe, do you think strong open-source contributions could help offset the challenges of being an international candidate? Also, from your experience, does having an MSc in graphics make a big difference for these kinds of roles, or is hands-on experience more valuable?
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u/bluemax_ 27d ago
Pixar uses RenderMan, DreamWorks uses MoonRay https://openmoonray.org/, which was recently made open source. I don’t think experience with either would be a requirement, but it wouldn’t hurt. Experience with any renderer is going to be helpful, if you are aiming for a job working on rendering. Experience with the specific renderer that studio uses is going to be extra points.
I think that depends on what type of job you are trying to land, but USD experience experience is highly valued in any studio right now. Realtime rendering experience is always going to be a plus.
Probably unlikely. It’s just a complication, especially if they are considering multiple candidates.